Panda Mom Rejects Newborn, Then Camera Captures When Her Instincts Finally Kick In

There’s supposed to be an instant connection between a mother and child. It is something that we can always count on. But it doesn’t always happen that way, for a variety of reasons, and it’s cause for concern when the connection doesn’t appear to exist. That’s why zoo employees were worried about a mother panda, Min-Min, after she gave birth.

Credit: YouTube/BBC

Typically, the baby stays with the mother right after birth, but in her case, zookeepers were concerned about the baby and needed to run some tests to check on its welfare. They were aware that doing that meant the mother might not bond with the baby, but needed to take the risk.

Credit: YouTube/BBC

Once they made sure the baby was fine, they put the baby back in the pen and held their breath.
At first, there was no great reunion. Mama ignored the baby. She even turned away from the baby at first.

Credit: YouTube/BBC

But thankfully, something finally clicked. Min-Min suddenly makes the connection and comes over and grabs her tiny bundle of joy. She then carries baby over to a corner where she commences with the cuddling and loving, making a mother and baby bond for good.